Family
by bananacosmicgirl
Summary: They’ve been together for four years and now Rikki has something to tell Zane. A five-part series dealing with Rikki and Zane starting a family. Zane/Rikki.
1. Chapter One: Revelation

**Title:** Revelation  
**Series:** Family

**Author: **Cosmic  
**Email: **bananacosmicgirl at hotmail . com  
**Website:** www . cosmicuniverse . net  
**LiveJournal: **bananacosmic . livejournal . com

**Fandom: **H2O: Just Add Water  
**Genre:** Het  
**Table:** Hurt/Comfort  
**Prompt:** 04. Truth Revealed

**Part:** 1/5  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Total wordcount:** 12 200  
**Words in chapter: **2 062  
**Characters: **Zane, Rikki  
**Pairing:** Zane/Rikki

**Warnings: **None

**Spoilers: **None

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations from the tv-show "H2O: Just Add Water", created and owned by Jonathan M. Shiff and others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Summary:** They've been together for four years and now Rikki has something to tell Zane. A five-part series dealing with Rikki and Zane starting a family.

**Author's notes:** Response to prompt 4 on my Hurt/Comfort table. Future fic, set about four years after season two. Part one of my Family series. I've seen the idea of pregnant!Rikki on several occasions before, but in this, she's twenty years old when she gets pregnant, which feels better to me than sixteen. This isn't supposed to be teenage angst.

--

**Revelation**

By Cosmic

--

"I need to talk to you."

Zane looked up at her, from his place beside the pool. She was dressed in a rather small bikini, looking as inviting as always. Even after four years together, he couldn't get enough of her.

"What about?" he asked.

"I—uh," Rikki said, in an unusual display of insecurity.

He sat up straighter, putting his book aside and focusing completely on her. She was only insecure when it came to asking him for things, or discussing serious matters, and having his concentration completely on her tended to make it easier for her to say whatever was on her mind.

"I—" she said again, and trailed off once more.

He took her hand, standing up beside her. "What is it, love?"

She studied the ground, biting her lip. His imagination started running wild with ideas on what could be wrong for her to be so closed up about it, so hesitant to tell him about it. Was she sick? Had something happened to her friends? Was there something wrong on in her mermaid life?

"I'm pregnant."

His world stopped.

"What?"

She pursed her mouth. "You heard me."

"But—you—_what_?"

"I don't know how it happened," Rikki said. "We're always careful, but I guess nothing's one hundred percent for sure, and I just—I've been feeling sick, and then I didn't get my period, and at first I thought it might be something mermaid, but then—I just took the test. Three, actually. And they're all positive."

"You're—pregnant," Zane said. "As in—having a baby?"

"Is there any other kind of pregnant?" Set her chin defiantly. "It's yours, so don't even try to say otherwise."

The thought hadn't even occurred to him – he trusted Rikki implicitly. If she was pregnant, then it was most definitely his – he was simply having more trouble with the idea of her being pregnant to begin with. Pregnant meant a baby. A _baby_. They were twenty years old – he was not old enough to become a parent! Though he'd imagined marrying her and having kids with her, it was something for later – much, much later.

He realized she was looking at him, waiting for him to say something.

"I—I don't—uh," he said, unable to get his brain to work. "You're sure?"

"Three pregnancy tests," she said patiently, as though she hadn't just told him that thirty seconds earlier. "I'm sure."

"How—uh, long?" he asked.

"I don't know," Rikki said, shrugging and looking down. "The test doesn't say that, and I haven't been to the doctor, obviously." She paused, and added, "But I think it's about a month or so. It's how long I've been feeling—ill."

He swallowed. He'd known that Rikki was feeling under the weather – it was hard to live with someone and not realize when they were puking at all hours of the day – but they hadn't gone to the doctor, because she'd refused it, knowing that even a simple blood test would be dangerous, a risk to their secret.

Now that she'd told him she was pregnant, the signs fit. Zane had heard about morning sickness, and a wide variety of other things pregnancy brought. The biggest part of it, obviously, was a _baby_ at the end of it.

Unbidden, the image of Rikki, stomach bulging with pregnancy, entered his mind. Although it was a somewhat inviting image, it freaked him out to the point where he could feel his heart racing.

"Are you going to keep it?" he asked weakly.

She shrugged, studying the ground again. "I don't know. It's not just my decision. It should be ours. Do you want to be a father?"

Zane couldn't see himself as a father of someone. The only role model he had was his own father, and he wasn't a particularly great dad, especially not when Zane was little. He wondered if he himself could forget his child at a resort while on a business trip, or use the child as a servant rather than a son or daughter.

"I don't know," he said. "I mean, I thought I'd be a father at some point but now—"

"It's a bit early, yeah," she said, still avoiding eye contact. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" he echoed. "About what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. This, I guess. Though it's not really just my fault, is it?"

"No," he said, knowing they were both at equal blame, if blame was to be given out.

He pulled her close, hugging her and kissing her forehead.

"We don't have to decide right now," Rikki said against his shoulder. "We still have a bit of time, I think."

He ran a hand down the side of her face, and then, hesitatingly, allowed the hand to continue down, over supple breasts and down to her stomach. It was as taut and flat as he'd always known it – but something was growing in there now, a little combination of him and her, a little person of its own. A baby, their baby. If they allowed this to continue, they'd be parents, eight or so months down the road.

"I'm going for a swim," Rikki said, pulling away. "We both need to think, before we decide anything."

He nodded. "I'll—uh, be here, I guess."

Sometimes he wished he could go with her under water – he loved the serenity of the world below the surface and dove when he had the chance, but swimming without masks and oxygen, with the tail of a fish instead of diving equipment, had to be amazing.

She stood up on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips, and then she left without another word.

He dove into the pool, hoping that the water would cool his head, because his thoughts were racing a million miles a minute. He thought of holding a baby – he couldn't remember ever having done that, because he had no siblings and no cousins that were younger than him, and there just didn't seem to be babies around him. Now he might have his own? The thought was freaky.

He indulged himself in the fantasy of having a mini-Rikki, a little baby girl with pale white hair, large blue eyes and red ruby lips. He imagined Rikki as a mother, holding a child in her arms, caring and loving it with that massive capacity to love she had beneath the tough exterior. He imagined the three of them, him, her and the baby, a little happy family.

They wouldn't have trouble with money – his father had warmed up to Rikki and realized that the two were going to be together for a long time, and the allowance Zane received was enough to cover the bills of the apartment he shared with Rikki by the university, and what was left over at the end of the month sat in their joint account. They both worked part time – he at his father's company, she at a restaurant – so that they didn't live completely on his father's charity. Zane didn't think his father would be thrilled about a baby so early, but he doubted his father would disinherit him, or anything like it. Zane was, after all, a grown-up. He'd be twenty-one by the time the baby was born.

His mind returned to the image of the happy family. He had no idea what it took to raise a child, but he suspected it was quite a bit of work – babies cried and pooped and were awake in the middle of the night, and they weren't necessarily silent when they should be. He wasn't a kids-person, being far too spoiled to like a little creature that stole every bit of attention, and required him to put its need before his own.

It was a bad idea, really. Having a baby now, it was far too early and stupid. They should wait five or seven or even ten years, and then he might be mature enough to handle the responsibility.

Yet a part of him refused to accept that easy way out. A part of him that he hadn't known existed was terribly excited, about seeing a mesh of him and Rikki, about meeting the little person they created, even though it was probably just a little blob that didn't look anything like a human yet.

He sighed. He needed to talk to Rikki; he would get nowhere, just thinking alone.

--

An hour later, he had reached the moon pool. He didn't know whether she would be there or not, but it was the only place he knew to look – he couldn't very well search the sea for her.

She was in the water, arms resting on the rocks, head to the side, watching him as he came into the cave. She'd probably heard him a while ago, as he made his way through the tunnels.

She looked beautiful, her hair slicked back and trails of water running down her face and shoulders. Below the surface, he could see her golden tail, lazily moving this way and that.

"Hi."

"Hi," he said, taking off his shoes and sitting down next to her. He dipped his feet into the warm water.

"You look like you've been thinking," she said.

"Is that a look?" he asked.

"You get this crease between your eyebrows," she said, smiling slightly. "So serious."

He gave a light shrug. "This is serious."

She sighed. "I know. I just—I have no idea."

"We're too young," Zane said. "We're not done with school, we're not ready for the responsibility, and the only logical thing is to abort it."

She looked stricken, her mouth falling open at his bluntness.

"I—"

"But I still want it."

Her eyes widened even more, in complete shock.

"You—_want_ this baby?" she asked.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I—yeah. I do. I shouldn't, because it's not logical or smart, but—I do."

She pulled herself out of the water to sit next to him, tail still swishing back and forth in the water. She wrung her hands nervously.

"I don't know," she said. "It's not like it's a dog or something. If we do this, we can't undo it – we can't give the baby back. And you're not exactly father material, and I don't know that I'm cut out to be a mother – I don't even have a mother, and your father isn't the best ever, and I just—I don't know."

He pulled her to him, meeting her wet lips in a kiss. She stole his breath, still, even though four years had passed since they became a couple.

When they pulled apart, he leaned his forehead against hers.

"I'm not going to pressure you," he said. "If you don't want to do this, then that's okay. We'll have more chances, later on. I just want to be with you, and make you happy."

She smiled, a slightly pained smile. "If anyone else'd heard you just now, they'd've thought you'd been replaced by a pod person."

He grinned briefly. "Can't have them knowing I'm nice."

"Emma still doesn't trust you completely," Rikki said.

"Then I guess I don't trust her, so that's fine," Zane said.

"Don't trust her with what?" Rikki said. "You have no secrets."

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "_We_ have a secret."

He placed his hand on her stomach again. It seemed warm under his touch, and he imagined a little prickly heartbeat in there. She placed a hand over his, lacing their fingers together.

"You really want to have a baby with me?" Rikki asked.

Zane smiled at her. "I really do."

She bit her lip. "And you're not going to freak out on me in a week or a month or a year?"

"I'll try not to," Zane said.

She smiled. "You'll be a good father."

"You'll be a great mother."

She made a face. "I doubt it. I'm sure we'll screw this kid up badly."

He chuckled. He hoped they wouldn't, although he supposed it could be argued that most people were screwed up one way or another because of their parents.

"Do you want a baby with me?" Zane asked.

"Haven't found a better candidate yet," Rikki smiled.

He chuckled. "Good to know."

"So we're really having a baby?"

Zane smiled at her. "Yeah."

--

**Author's notes:** Comments are very welcome. The next chapter will be up, at latest, in a week.


	2. Chapter Two: Telling

**Title:** Telling  
**Series:** Family

**Author: **Cosmic  
**Email: **bananacosmicgirl at hotmail . com  
**Website:** www . cosmicuniverse . net  
**LiveJournal****: **bananacosmic . livejournal . com

**Genre:** Het  
**Table:** Hurt/Comfort  
**Prompt:** 03. Unconscious

**Part:** 2/5  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Words in chapter: **1 293  
**Characters: **Rikki, Cleo, Emma, Zane  
**Pairing:** Zane/Rikki  
**Warnings: **None  
**Spoilers: **None

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations from the tv-show "H2O: Just Add Water", created and owned by Jonathan M. Shiff and others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Summary:** Rikki has to tell her best friends that she's pregnant.

**Author's notes:** Response to prompt 3 on my Hurt/Comfort table. Future fic, set about four years after season two. Part two of my Family series.

--

**Telling**

By Cosmic

--

She had yet to say anything to them – her two best friends, the people she was the closest to, in some ways even closer than she was with Zane. Still, telling them before the first trimester had passed had felt like a bad idea, and now that she'd passed that magical three month mark, she had to figure out a way to break the news. She would start showing soon, her petite frame not leaving all that much space for a baby to grow in without showing.

She wondered what it would be like to be pregnant as a mermaid. She had enough trouble seeing herself as pregnant – despite the constant morning sickness, which didn't stick to mornings at all, and the general feeling that something was _different_ – and imagining herself with a well-rounded belly swimming along in the ocean, a golden tail instead of legs, seemed very, very strange.

"You seem a million miles away," Emma said. "Is something wrong?"

They sat at a café in town, having exchanged the JuiceNet café's juices for coffee a while back. Of course, Rikki had almost completely stopped drinking coffee – she didn't want the baby to deal with a caffeine addiction from birth.

"No, nothing's wrong," Rikki said, shrugging and smiling.

"You sure?" Cleo asked.

Rikki rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. Now, where were we? I'm sure we have something more interesting to talk about than me."

"Nope," Cleo said. "I'm finished telling you about Ronnie's latest tricks, and Emma's all done about her college courses. It's all about you. What've you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing big," Rikki said. "You know, college and stuff."

"And living with Zane," Emma said.

"Yes, what's that like?" Cleo asked, cocking her head to the side. "He treats you right?"

"Of course he does!" Rikki said. "Come on, guys – we've been together for four years, isn't it time you started trusting him? He's helped us out on more occasions than I can count, and he always keeps me safe on the full moon and stuff."

"Yes, we know," Emma said. "It's just that we've known him since we were kids – and he wasn't particularly pleasant."

"He's fine," Rikki said. "More than fine. He's wonderful. People do change and grow up."

She wondered what they would say if she simply blurted it out, _I'm pregnant_, just like that. Would they be thrilled for her, or just barely be able to hide their revulsion that she was carrying his baby? After all these years, she'd thought they were past that, but obviously not quite. She didn't understand why; she'd never bitched about their boyfriends, despite the multitude of boyfriends Emma had gone through, or the stupidness that was Cleo's boyfriend Lewis. Lewis had, just like Zane, helped them out on countless occasions, but he could still be as dumb as a troll and equally socially competent – but Rikki didn't point that out, at least not nearly as often as Cleo and Emma said negative things about Zane.

"Yeah, but it's still Zane," Cleo argued. Emma nodded in agreement.

Rikki suddenly felt very tired of them.

"Actually," she snapped, "We're having a baby together."

Then she stood up, and turned to stalk out of there – only to feel the blood rushing in her ears, and her vision swimming until everything became black, and she fell into unconsciousness.

--

She came to a minute or two later, already moved to a couch at the back of the café. Emma was fighting off what looked like a worried café worker, insisting that Rikki did not need a wet towel on her forehead, and Cleo sat beside her.

"Rikki?" she asked, as Rikki opened her eyes and looked around. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Rikki said, heaving herself up to a sitting position. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Cleo said.

"Oh."

She'd done it once before since finding out she was pregnant, getting out of bed in the morning. Zane had been there to catch her at the time. It had something to do with low blood pressure. Now, the world was swimming a bit even as she sat on the couch, taking steadying breaths.

"Is it true? Are you having a baby?" Cleo asked cautiously.

Oh, right. She'd told them. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Not quite the way I'd planned on telling you. Or, well, I hadn't planned it much at all."

Cleo smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "Congratulations. To both of you."

Emma came over, the worker finally leaving upon seeing Rikki awake. "So it's true, then? You're not just kidding?"

"Would I really kid about being pregnant?" Rikki asked.

"I guess not," Emma said. Then she smiled too. "I'm so happy for you."

Rikki gazed at them. "Even though Zane's the father?"

"Yes!" both girls chorused.

"Did you think we'd—you don't think we judge you for being with him, do you?" Emma asked incredulously.

"It seems like you do, quite often," Rikki said. "You're always asking if he's good to me."

"We just care about you, silly," Cleo said. "We want what's best for you."

"But I don't ask if Lewis is good to you," Rikki said.

"That's because it's not the kind of question you ask," Cleo said. "Emma asks me that instead."

"You do?" Rikki asked.

Emma nodded. "And Cleo asks the same about my boyfriends."

"Huh," Rikki said, smiling. "Well then."

"So," Cleo said, and Rikki could see that the bouncy energy that she got when she was excited about something was starting to bubble out of her. "When are you due?"

"Not in another six months," Rikki said. "September fourteenth. I'm just three months along, that's why I haven't told you."

"You've been keeping this a secret from us for three months?" Cleo asked.

"Not really," Rikki said. "I've only known for six weeks. And there's this superstition about telling other people before the first trimester is out—I didn't want to risk anything."

"But everything's good?" Emma asked.

"Honestly? I don't know," Rikki said. "We haven't been to the doctor."

Both Emma and Cleo started asking why, but caught themselves as realization dawned – none of them wanted a doctor to draw their blood, or happen to use a water-based gel, or something like that. It was far too dangerous.

"Lewis could probably do it," Cleo said. "He's doing his marine biology stuff, but I'm pretty sure he could learn anything and everything there is to know if we need him to. It's not like he hasn't learned to do stuff for us before."

Rikki was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of Lewis getting such intimate knowledge of her – he'd driven her mad with his constant requests for hair, nail and other samples, and allowing him free reign over her pregnancy might be to invite trouble. However, she didn't have much choice – it was either Lewis, or going through this pregnancy with only what she could get out of books as knowledge. Though neither was a particularly inviting option, Lewis was still the better of the two.

"Okay," she said. "You can ask him."

Cleo clapped her hands in excitement, grinning widely. "I'll ask him tonight."

"Great," Rikki said.

At that moment, Zane burst into the café, and ran to her side, hand running over her face, gaze scanning her for injuries. "Rikki? Are you okay? Cleo called me and said you fainted—"

"I'm fine," Rikki said, rolling her eyes. "It's just the baby doing funny things to me. Or not so funny things."

Zane looked at Cleo and Emma. "They know?"

"I just told them."

Emma and Cleo grinned. "Congratulations, _dad_."

Zane paled a little at that, and the girls laughed at him, before Rikki pulled him in for a kiss.

--

_**Author's notes:** Comments are welcome :)_


	3. Chapter Three: Hot

**Title:** Hot

**Series:** Family

**Author: **Cosmic

**Email: **bananacosmicgirl at hotmail . com

**Website:** www . cosmicuniverse . net 

**LiveJournal: **bananacosmic . livejournal . com

**Fandom: **H2O: Just Add Water

**Genre:** Het

**Table:** Hurt/Comfort

**Prompt:** 06. Sick

**Part:** 3/5

**Rating:** PG-13

**Words in chapter: **2 986

**Characters:** Rikki, Zane, Emma, Cleo, Lewis

**Pairing:** Zane/Rikki

**Warnings: **None

**Spoilers: **None

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations from the tv-show "H2O: Just Add Water", created and owned by Jonathan M. Shiff and others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Summary:** A pregnant Rikki decides to go out swimming with Emma and Cleo, with unexpected results.

**Author's notes:** Response to prompt 6 on my Hurt/Comfort table. Future fic, set about four years after season two. Part three of my Family series.

--

**Hot**

By Cosmic

--

"You know, this is all your fault."

Zane held her hair and rubbed her back best he could, but it was obviously not enough. Rikki leaned back, one hand wiping her mouth, the other on her swollen midsection.

"I wouldn't say it's _all_ my fault, but I guess I had something to do with it, yes," Zane said.

"Yeah, _something_ to do with it," she said. "How come you just get the good parts of this, and I get all the bad stuff?"

"You weren't complaining when we were making it," he said, leering at her.

"You're just so full of yourself," Rikki said, rolling her eyes. "Ugh, I still feel sick. Why? I'm in the second trimester, I'm supposed to feel fantastic now – it's in all the books."

"We could always go to the doctor," Zane said.

"No," Rikki said. "No doctors. It's enough to have Lewis poking at me like I'm his new science project – I don't need a bunch of doctors drawing my blood and accidentally spilling water. I'm fine."

She started getting up, but was unused to the extra weight she was carrying, and it took her a bit longer than usual. He was on his feet and held out a hand for her. She ignored it pointedly.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a little nauseous. Nothing wrong."

After brushing her teeth, she walked out of the bathroom, and he watched her go, admiring her ass all the while. She had a fine ass. All of her was fine, to be honest, but her bottom had become rounder and even nicer lately, with a few extra pregnancy pounds. He adored her this way just as much as when she wasn't pregnant, and tried his best to make her feel sexy and beautiful, even when she felt fat and ugly these days.

The doorbell rang. Rikki opened, and the sounds of Emma, Lewis and Cloe's voices floated down the corridor.

"Zane," they greeted as he came out.

"Hey guys," he said. "What brings you here?"

"Weekly check-up for the lady of the house," Lewis said. "Isn't that right, Rikki?"

"Let's just get this over with," Rikki said unhappily.

"Mood swings, ey?" Lewis asked, poking Zane's side.

"She's not worse than usual," Zane said, smiling slightly. "Just unhappy with the morning sickness that doesn't stick to mornings, or the first trimester."

"Well, some women are sick all the way through the pregnancy," Lewis said, and headed into the bedroom of the apartment, leaving Zane with Cleo and Emma.

"So, girls, can I get you anything to drink?" he asked.

"No, we're just here to see if Rikki wants to go out with us for a while," Cleo said. "We found this really beautiful coral reef we want her to see."

"I'm not sure she should be going out there as much anymore," Zane said.

He wanted her where he could keep track of her, where she wasn't putting herself in unnecessary danger. Swimming in the ocean was an unnecessary danger – there were poisonous fishes and dangerous plants, as well as undercurrents and sharks. All of it made Zane want Rikki to stay out of the water, at least for now. At least until the baby was born.

"I'm sure she's capable of deciding that for herself," Emma said. "She's a big girl after all."

Zane glanced at the closed bedroom door. She usually didn't want him in there, although he had made sure he was by her side on the two occasions when Lewis had managed to get a hold of an ultrasound machine. Seeing their baby for the first time had been the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced. He or she – they didn't know the sex yet – had the makings of small fingers and toes already, and a head so large it looked like an alien.

"Just keep an eye on her," Zane said.

"I don't need a babysitter."

Rikki stood behind him, hands on her hips, looking rather pissed off.

"Rikki, I'm just trying to look out for you," Zane said.

"Which suggests I can't look out for myself," Rikki said. "I'm _fine_. Even Lewis here thinks so."

"She's good to go," Lewis said.

Zane shot him a look that clearly said that he thought Lewis was a traitor. Lewis glared back – he had grown a bit of a spine over the last few years, which was usually refreshing, but at the moment, simply annoying.

"Just be careful," he ground out. He wondered when he'd turned into a mother hen.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving him off. "I'll be back later."

And with that, she was out the door.

- -

He spent the afternoon on his bike, driving around on the beach and the streets, sometimes just enjoying the feeling of the warm wind against his face, but more often thinking about Rikki and the baby. A small part of him still wondered if they were doing the right thing – they were so young, and perhaps it was far too early. Did Rikki not care about the baby, or was he simply too overprotective? Would she go out to the ocean when the baby had arrived too, leaving him to care for him or her? Would this make them tighter, their love stronger, or break them apart?

He drove until he ran out of gas, and finally parked in the driveway, taking his helmet off as he walked up to the apartment complex. It overlooked the water on the other side, because though a small part of her feared water for what it did to her, Rikki never wanted to be far away from it. The apartment had three rooms – their bedroom, the living room and a small office. There was also a rather spacious kitchen, where Zane now headed to get some water.

His cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Zane, where have you been?" Emma asked, tone accusing. "We've been calling you for over an hour."

"What's wrong?" he asked, ignoring her question. If they'd been calling for an hour, something was wrong, and if they were calling him, it had to do with Rikki.

"Rikki's powers are going haywire," Emma said. "We can't take her back home, so we took her to Mako. Everything's burning."

"Like that time at the full moon?" Zane asked, already on his way out again. He grabbed the keys for his boat and locked the door behind him.

"Yes," Emma said. "But there's no moon, so Lewis thinks it's—"

"The baby," Zane said, finishing her sentence. "I'll be there as fast as I can."

He ran to his boat and headed out. The waters were calm and easy, but it felt as though it took forever. Mako Island soon became visible on the horizon, and as he came closer, bouncing on the little waves there were because he was going so fast, he saw smoke rising towards the sky.

Burned trees and bushes showed him the way, once he was out of the boat. He ran, blood running cold at the thoughts of what this must be doing to Rikki and the baby. It hadn't hurt Rikki the time she was moon struck, years ago, before they got together, but now it wasn't the moon that was messing with her, but the child growing within her – and the child, unlike the moon, wouldn't go away within twenty-four hours.

"Rikki!" he screamed.

"Zane!" echoed back, coming from the caves, and he realized they'd headed down to the moon pool.

He stumbled down and ran through the caves, into the clearing that was the moon pool. The heat rose the closer he came, steam making the world white and fuzzy. He was sweating already, from the run, and this didn't help.

"Rikki," he said again, and someone grabbed his wrist.

Emma became visible in the fog. "This way. But don't touch the water, it's boiling."

Rikki was in the water, only her shoulders and up above the surface. She was crying, her eyes red and the tears sizzling into steam as they travelled down her cheeks.

"Rikki!" he said, landing on his knees next to her.

He reached out to touch her, but she pulled away. "Don't touch me. I'll burn you."

She sounded broken, and he reached out and touched her cheek briefly anyway. She was hot, and the cool of his hand made steam rise between them. She leaned into his touch for but a second, before pulling away. His hand hurt, already scalded, but at least he'd proved to her that he wasn't afraid of her.

"We'll fix this," he said.

She looked up at him, blue eyes filled with sorrow. "How? How do we _fix_ this? How do you even know it's fixable?"

"It has to be," he said. He turned to Emma. "Can't you cool her?"

"I've tried," she said. "She gets a little cooler, but then the heat takes over again. I'm doing it in short bursts, because otherwise she'll drain me completely."

"When did it start?" he asked.

"Pretty much as soon as she turned into a mermaid," Emma said.

"We just noticed that the water was getting really hot," Cleo said. "After a little while, we realized it was her."

"She doesn't seem to be affected by it," Emma said. "She's just feeling hot, but the boiling water isn't doing anything to her."

"So it's not dangerous, it's just—impossible for us to touch her?" Zane asked.

"Lewis drew some blood and is back home examining it," Cleo said. "He'll call and hopefully we'll know more."

Zane settled next to Rikki again, touching her in brief intervals, so brief that she didn't burn him. Her hair wasn't as hot as the rest of her, and he could pet it for a few seconds at a time without it hurting, and so he did.

"You'll be okay, love," he said softly.

"You don't know that," Rikki said. "What if I'll be like this for the next four months until the baby comes?"

"Then we'll work it out," Zane said. "But it's not going to come to that."

"You don't—"

He interrupted her. "I can't kiss you right now, because then I'll be out like a light from dehydration, and that won't help matters, so just know that if I could, I'd kiss you to shut you up right now."

That earned him a small smile, a glint of happiness in red-rimmed eyes.

"Do you want anything to eat?" he asked.

"Lewis is bringing back some food when he's finished," Cleo said.

"I guess whatever I eat will be well-done and cooked straight through," Rikki said. "It's not like it matters, though. I'll just puke it right up again anyway, because do you think the nausea gives up when I'm a mermaid oven? No, of course not."

He liked her sarcasm, and loved it even more at the moment because it meant that she wasn't feeling as hopeless as she had a few minutes ago, before he'd come. He could count on one hand how many times he'd seen her cry, so it was a testament to how upset and scared she was now.

Cleo's cell phone rang, and once the quick conversation was over, she told them that Lewis was on his way back.

"I'm going to meet him," she said.

Emma glanced at Rikki and Zane. "I'll come with you."

They left, hurrying out the caves, because it would scald them to go into the boiling water where Rikki was. Zane was grateful for a few minutes alone with Rikki.

"I should've listened to you," Rikki said quietly. "I shouldn't have gone out with them."

He smiled slightly. "It's not your fault. I was being overprotective – of course you should be out swimming. It's what you do."

"I just—it's not that I don't care about this baby," she said. "I just want to be _me_ still, and it feels like all I'm becoming is this thing's carrier, like I'm a prisoner of the baby's – and I don't do well in prison. I need to be free."

He touched her again, a brief touch just like the others. "It's okay. I understand. I just worry about you both so much these days."

"Obviously with some right," Rikki said. "I'm like a human torch."

"My beautiful, hot human torch," Zane said, grinning.

"Hot being the key word," she chuckled between tears.

"I'm glad to see you smile."

"I'm glad to have you here," she said softly, then added, "It took you long enough. Where were you anyway?"

"Out on the bike," he said. "I need to be free too, sometimes."

She smiled at that and pecked him quickly on the lips – fast enough that the only thing he felt was his mouth going dry. He wanted to pull her up and hold her, love her and never let go. She gazed lovingly at him, a hint of fear still in her eyes as she sat in water that boiled because of her, but mostly just her strong will to get through this. He never wanted to leave her side.

"Marry me."

The words escaped him suddenly, the idea not thought through but nonetheless so very right.

"What?" she asked, eyes going wide. "You're kidding."

"No," he said. "I love you – and I want to marry you."

The shock turned into an amused smile. "Ask me again later, when I'm not a mermaid sitting in boiling water."

He nodded – it was more than he'd expected. He hadn't thought she'd say yes – really, he hadn't thought much at all, the words just leaving his mouth without thought, but he was glad that she hadn't turned him down outright.

"Is the water bubbling less now?"

Rikki motioned at the water around her. It was indeed boiling less – only tendrils of bubbles floated to the surface. Zane reached out and touched Rikki's cheek, letting his hand rest for a few seconds. Though she was still warm enough to hurt him, she was not as hot as she'd been a little while ago.

"You're cooling down," he said.

She looked at the water, eyes wide, as it stilled completely, only clucking lightly as the small waves she created by moving hit the rocks. As minutes of silence passed by, the steam began to clear and after another few minutes, both Rikki and the water were cool enough for him to be able to touch.

He slipped into the warm water, fully clothed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, giggling.

"I was sweaty and I needed a bath," he grinned. He pulled her to him, their lips meeting. He ran a hand down her body, over the curve of her stomach, fitting her smaller body against his and holding it there. They floated together, simply holding one another.

"Ahem."

They looked up to find Emma, Cleo and Lewis watching them with amused smiles.

"I see you've both cooled down," Lewis said.

"I don't know, they look pretty hot to me," Emma grinned.

All the others groaned. Lewis set the basket he was carrying down on the ground.

"I brought food," he said. "It doesn't look like you'll be stuck here, obviously, but maybe you want to have a picnic here anyway?"

Rikki glanced at Zane, who smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, mate."

"Anytime," Lewis said. "Well, not anytime – there are better things Cleo and I could be doing right now, but still—"

Rikki rolled her eyes. "Just go."

Cleo grinned. "I'm glad you're okay, Rikki."

"Me too," Emma said.

"I wonder what brought it on, though," Cleo said.

"Oh, that," Lewis said. "I'm thinking anger."

"Anger?" Rikki and Zane echoed.

Lewis nodded, with that air of importance that he had when he knew the answer to something the others didn't. "She was angry when she went out, and she seemed to cool down only when Zane came here. My guess is that as long as you keep calm and happy, you won't have a heat problem."

"So is this pregnancy related or will it always be that way?" Rikki asked.

"Since it only happened now, I'm guessing it'll stop when the baby's born," Lewis said. "I don't know exactly, but I think so. Or maybe not."

"Well, let's hope so," Rikki said: "I can't go without anger. I'm an angry person."

Zane chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Of course you are."

"Okay," Lewis said. "We're off. You can just return the basket whenever."

"Yes, yes," Rikki said impatiently. "Go. Bye."

They said their goodbyes, and Emma and Cleo dove into the pool and swam out of there, while Lewis trekked back through the caves. It left Zane and Rikki alone in the pleasantly warm water, still holding onto each other.

They sat up on the side of the pool and Rikki dried them both off quickly and then Zane grabbed the basket of food Lewis had brought. There were boxes – a few with chicken, a few with fish, a bit of potatoes, and greens. Lewis had packed it for the possibility of Rikki staying in the moon pool for a while, and now that that wouldn't be happening, they could simply pick their favourites and eat.

When they each had a box of fish opened, and the potatoes between them for both to eat, Zane gazed at Rikki again.

"So how about now?" he asked.

"How about what?" Rikki asked.

"Well, I don't have a ring, but—" He smiled, and sat on one knee in front of her. "Will you marry me?"

She giggled, and leaned forward, her stomach slightly in the way so that she had to shift a bit until she was comfortable.

"Yes, I will."

They kissed, both still smiling.

"Mind you," he said when they pulled apart, "I can't ask you to marry me every time you get angry, so you'll just have to stay happy."

She giggled.


	4. Chapter Four: Birth

**Title:** Birth  
**Series:** Family

**Author: **Cosmic  
**Email: **bananacosmicgirl at hotmail . com  
**Website:** www . cosmicuniverse . net  
**LiveJournal****: **bananacosmic . livejournal . com

**Genre:** Het  
**Table:** Hurt/Comfort  
**Prompt:** 08. Tears

**Part:** 4/5  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Words in chapter: **2 400  
**Characters: **Zane, Rikki  
**Pairing:** Zane/Rikki

**Warnings: **None

**Spoilers: **None

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations from the tv-show "H2O: Just Add Water", created and owned by Jonathan M. Shiff and others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Summary:** She swam through the ocean, revelling in the feeling of being mobile. It was an unusual feeling these days, what with looking like she'd swallowed a beach ball.

**Author's notes:** Response to prompt 8 on my Hurt/Comfort table. Future fic, set about four years after season two. Part four of my Family series.

--

**Birth**

By Cosmic

--

She swam through the ocean, revelling in the feeling of being mobile. It was an unusual feeling these days, what with looking like she'd swallowed a beach ball. The water allowed her to move more freely, the heaviness of her own body no longer so obvious. Her balance was still a bit off, even in water, but it was far less than on land.

Emma and Cleo swam with her, and for a moment, she envied their thin bodies, the lack of obstruction. But then the baby kicked – as it was wont to do these days, hard enough that she suspected she looked like a big bruise on the inside – and a feeling of love washed over her. It would be another three weeks before the baby was due, and she was looking forward to it. She knew the baby would be a lot of work, and there was still a part of her that wondered if she and Zane were insane to have a kid already, but still—she wanted it. Nine months of waiting would soon be over.

They broke the surface in the moon pool at Mako Island, and Rikki took a deep breath of air.

Cleo chuckled. "Good god, you're really huge."

Rikki blushed.

"But you're still graceful in water," Emma said.

"Unlike on land, you mean," Rikki said. "Where I look like a stranded whale."

"I didn't say that," Emma protested, but at Rikki's raised eyebrow, she conceded, "Yeah."

"I guess we won't be swimming all that much in a few weeks," Cleo said, sounding rather sad all of a sudden. "You'll have the baby and you won't have time for us."

"I'll always make time for swimming," Rikki said, "although I probably won't be able to go as often as I do now."

"We'll have to come by and play with the baby instead," Cleo said. "It'll be so cute. Oh, I wonder if it's a boy or a girl. What do you want?"

"A healthy baby," Rikki answered honestly. She'd thought about whether she wanted a boy or a girl, but she could see pros and cons with either sex, and she'd ended up undecided, only wanting one who was healthy and happy.

They lunged about in the pool, enjoying the water and playing with their powers. Since her scare with getting hot a few months ago, Rikki had been more careful about using her powers – and about getting upset or angry. Zane had driven her to madness on one occasion with his over protectiveness, after the first time, and she'd ended up torching their dinner. He'd been able to calm her down fast enough that time, though, and she'd managed to stay calm since.

"God, my back is killing me," Rikki said groaned, rubbing her back, which had been acting up all morning. It had been better since getting in the water, but now the pain was increasing again.

"Perhaps we should get back," Emma said.

"No," Rikki said. "It's even worse when I'm not in water."

"I could rub your back for you," Cleo offered.

She swam over, hands running down Rikki's back, massaging carefully. Rikki relaxed slightly, the touch nice and gentle.

"You're good at that," Rikki said.

"Lewis says the same thing," Cleo said proudly.

Rikki winced, as a particularly sharp pain travelled through her body.

"That doesn't look pleasant," Emma said. "Are you okay, Rikki?"

"Just—back pains," Rikki said.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked.

"What else would it be?" Rikki asked.

Emma gave her a look. "Labour."

Rikki snapped her head around to look at Emma. "What?"

"Back pains are usually part of labour," Emma said. "When did it start?"

"This morning," Rikki said. "And there's been these twinges—" She stopped, looking down at her body, and then up at Emma, realization dawning. "Oh great.."

At that moment, the water started bubbling around her – and suddenly, her tail split in two, forming legs instead. Clad in her maternity gown and unused to swimming without a tail, she was quickly dragged under water, panicking as soon as she realized that she couldn't hold her breath as long now that she was human rather than a mermaid.

Two strong hands grabbed her arms and pulled her up to the surface.

She sputtered and coughed, feeling rather like a drenched cat.

"I'm going to go out on a ledge here and say that I think you're in labour," Emma said, rather pointedly.

Rikki didn't answer, as the pinch she'd felt when she was a mermaid suddenly had turned into full-fledged contractions, and it felt like a hand had grabbed here insides and was twisting them around. She gasped and nearly went under again, unable to swim to stay at the surface, but Emma and Cleo held onto her, keeping her head above the surface.

"Let's get you up here," Emma said.

They pulled themselves up on the side of the pool, and then helped Rikki up as well. She sat there, dripping wet and panting, pain wrecking her body – and she had to admit that she was frightened. This wasn't how she'd planned to give birth. The plan had been to be at home, where Lewis had set up enough equipment for it to look like a small hospital.

But she wouldn't be leaving now, she knew. There were only two ways out – either she climbed up the steep, wet rocks at the other end of the caves, or she had to swim out through the underwater tunnel. She could do neither now – heavily pregnant and in labour, she was in no position to climb rocks, and as she had obviously lost her tail, albeit hopefully only temporarily, she couldn't swim either. She would be giving birth in here, whether she wanted to or not.

"I'm going to get Lewis and Zane," Cleo said. "You just stay here."

"Where do you think—" she gasped, "I'm planning on going?"

"Good point," Cleo said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Hurry," Emma said.

Cleo dove, disappearing out of view in a swirl of bubbles. Rikki laid back, sopping wet and gasping for air.

"Remind me next time," she said between gritted teeth, "that pain whilst a mermaid equals labour as a human."

"Will there be a next time?" Emma asked, wiping away wet hair from Rikki's forehead.

"Doubtful," Rikki ground out.

The contraction had released its hold on her, and she relaxed, only the dull pain in her back and the insides of her thighs still hurting. She hoped she'd have time to recuperate, and for that matter, that there was still time between the contractions, because otherwise she might be having this baby before Zane had time to get there. She didn't want to give birth without him there.

She had no idea how much time had passed – it could have been seconds, or minutes, or more – when the hand seemed to reach back into her and started painfully twisting her insides again, the grip like a vice. Tears started trickling down her cheeks at the pain, and she grasped Emma's hand and held on tight.

Emma held a hand to her forehead, cooling her sweaty brow off with a bit of mermaid power.

"You're doing good," Emma said, probably more to keep them both calm than because it was actually true. Rikki was only doing what felt natural, and what she'd read up on doing – breathing in and out as calmly as she could.

"Where are they?" she gasped, coming down from the contraction.

"She's only been gone five minutes," Emma said, a pinch of compassion creasing her brow. "I'm sure they'll get here as fast as they can."

"He'd better," Rikki said. "It's his kid, and I'm not having his kid without him here—"

Emma smiled slightly. "They'll be here soon."

Rikki nodded. The baby was calm within her; she'd read that during labour, the baby stayed still and scrunched up, so that it could pass through the birthing canal. It was nice to not have it kicking her in her ribs, but then the kicks had been replaced with contractions a thousand times more painful, so it wasn't really a good deal after all.

"Can you dry us off?" Emma asked. "I'll probably be more useful if I can move around."

Rikki nodded, glad for something else to think about. She was feeling hot, and suspected that her fear was driving her temperature up. It didn't take much to dry them both off, and then Emma could move around, sitting behind her instead so that Rikki could lean into her as the next contraction started taking over her body.

Six contractions later – they were coming closer and closer together – Cleo returned. Her dark hair pooled around her as she took in the scene before her.

"They'll be here in a few minutes," she said. "I've never seen Zane run so fast."

"He'd—better—be," Rikki gasped, holding onto Emma's hands, probably so tightly she was hurting her. Emma didn't protest though, she simply spoke quietly in Rikki's ear, encouraging words to keep her calm. Rikki barely heard what she was saying, but appreciated it nonetheless – the last thing she needed was to get so upset that no one could touch her without being scalded.

She was in the middle of a contraction when Zane and Lewis finally rushed into the cave. Rikki barely registered how Lewis stopped to stare – she only saw Zane, felt his hands on her face and rubbing her stomach.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She wanted rather badly to punch him. "I'm in labour!"

He smiled sheepishly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Get this _thing_ out of me," Rikki growled.

The contraction released its hold, but she could already feel another one building.

"We need to get your underwear off," Lewis said. "Can you do it yourself?"

Rikki nodded, making a face. She'd be far from in private here – then again, if there was anyone she wanted present for this, it was the four people who were there with her now.

With some help from Zane, she managed to pull her underwear, which was soaked with stuff coming from inside of her, off. She didn't look very closely; she simply threw them in a corner of the cave.

Emma and Rikki stayed back while Lewis, who looked a bit pale but set in concentration anyway, kneeled between her legs. Rikki felt her face flushing with embarrassment, and she turned into Zane, who stroked her hair and told her everything would be fine.

The next contraction hit her, and she held back a scream.

"You're eight centimetres dilated, if I've figured this out correctly," Lewis said.

"No ifs," Rikki said, panting and groaning, twisting this way and that as she tried to get more comfortable. "You're supposed to _know_."

"Well, this is kind of new to me too," Lewis said.

She glared at him for a second, before squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to breathe through the pain. She held onto Zane's hand, not caring much at all if she happened to break it – this was his fault! This pain was all his fault, and he had to take none of it.

When the next contraction washed over her, she screamed. "I want to push!"

"You can't, not yet," Lewis said. "You might tear."

Rikki growled, panting and trying desperately to get enough oxygen into her lungs to drown out the pain. It didn't work; it simply came stronger and stronger, and the primal need to push the baby out of her was overwhelming.

Finally, after seconds, minutes or hours – Rikki had no idea which – Lewis said that it was okay to push. She didn't know if she had enough strength left as tears trickled down her cheeks and her hair was wet with sweat. But Zane sat by her side, holding onto her hand, stroking her hair, and comforting her with words she didn't hear, but knew nonetheless.

It seemed to go on forever – she felt the baby's head pass, and then the excruciating pain of the baby's shoulders, and then, with a sort of wet, slippery sound, the rest of the baby was expelled from her body, leaving her crying from the sudden relief. Zane moved away from her, and she leaned back, her head falling to the side as exhaustion took over. She knew to continue to push for a little longer, the afterbirth sliding out of her, and then she lay there, panting.

She heard cries filling the cave, and it was the most amazing sound she'd ever heard.

Emma and Cleo were both there, cleaning her off with moist towels, and she wondered briefly if she'd turn into a mermaid.

"Congratulations," she heard Lewis say. "You have a beautiful baby girl."

He must have brought the blankets and towels, because Zane turned around with a little bundle in his hands, it was wrapped up in a yellow blanket with teddy bears on it. There was a look of shock on Zane's face as he gazed down at the little baby. He kneeled carefully in front of Rikki.

"Look what we did," he said.

Rikki let out a cry of happiness and relief at the sight of her daughter, cheeks pink and blue eyes open, staring at the wide world she'd suddenly been thrown into.

With great care, and an air of unease because he couldn't remember ever holding a baby, Zane placed their daughter on Rikki's chest. The baby found her nipple, and started suckling, both tiny hands curling in contentment.

"She's beautiful," Cleo said.

"Absolutely gorgeous," Emma agreed.

"She seems perfectly healthy from what I can tell," Lewis said. "And she has no reaction to water."

Then they fell silent, as Zane sat down and cradled his fiancé and daughter to his chest, holding them both close. Rikki closed her eyes, revelling in the feeling of a baby, _her_ baby, feeding from her. It was odd, but at the same time, perfectly natural.

"I'm a mom," she said softly, looking down at her daughter. She looked up, finding Lewis who was still cleaning up. "Thank you."

Lewis looked surprised. "Of course. You're welcome."

Rikki smiled at him, and closed her eyes again. Zane kissed the top of her head, and Lewis, Emma and Cleo all smiled at the little, new family.

--

_**Author's notes: **A final chapter coming up soon. Comments are welcome._


	5. Chapter Five: Aftershock

**Title:** Aftershock  
**Series:** Family

**Author: **Cosmic  
**Email: **bananacosmicgirl at hotmail . com  
**Website:** www . cosmicuniverse . net  
**LiveJournal****: **bananacosmic . livejournal . com

**Genre:** Het  
**Table:** Hurt/Comfort  
**Prompt:** 05. Snuggle

**Part:** 5/5  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Words in chapter: **3 472

**Characters: **Zane, Rikki, Lewis, Cleo, Nova  
**Pairing:** Zane/Rikki  
**Warnings: **None  
**Spoilers: **None

**Disclaimer: **This story is based on characters and situations from the tv-show "H2O: Just Add Water", created and owned by Jonathan M. Shiff and others. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Summary:** The baby is three weeks old, but not everything is as well as it should be in the Chadwick-Bennett household.

**Author's notes:** Response to prompt 5 on my Hurt/Comfort table. Future fic, set about four years after season two. Part five, the final part, of my Family series.

--

**Aftershock**

By Cosmic

--

He had never felt more tired in his life.

He'd thought having a baby would mean work – but he hadn't realized that it would be work and responsibility twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year.

After three weeks, he felt like the walking dead.

Rikki seemed to be faring even worse than him. Since she breastfed, it was up to her to get up every time the baby screamed for food, whereas he could usually drag the pillow over his head and use it to muffle out the sounds, and sleep for another few hours.

Now, the baby was on his shoulder, hiccuping after a bout of screaming that seemed to take the breath out of her.

"There, there, love," he said quietly, feeling his own eyelids drop as they walked around the living room.

They'd named her only a few days ago, finally deciding that they couldn't possibly call her 'the baby' forever. They'd settled on Nova, which they both found a lovely, short name – they both had short names, and they didn't want to break that tradition with their daughter.

Nova's eyelids finally shut and her breathing evened out into sleep.

As he placed the baby back in her crib, hoping that she wouldn't wake up again upon the movement, he heard someone enter the room.

Rikki gazed at him, dark shadows around her eyes and a slump to her shoulders that hadn't been there before. Zane adored Nova, loved her like he'd never loved anything before, but he still wondered sometimes, if it had been the wrong choice. Rikki didn't seem happy these days.

He exited the office, which had been redecorated as the baby's room. Nova's cot stood to one side, a few toys in it. There was a single bed as well, for the times when Rikki would fall asleep in there, rather than coming back to the bedroom after being up with her in the middle of the night. It seemed to happen more and more often.

When he came out into the living room, he saw a bag standing by the door. A suitcase, packed and ready.

"What's with the bag?" Zane asked.

Rikki looked at the floor. "I have to get away for a while."

There was something in her voice that made him fill with dread. He gazed into her eyes, seeing exhaustion.

"What?" he said weakly. "Like a vacation?"

"Not a vacation," she said softly. "I—have to go."

Looking into her eyes, he saw fatigue, the bright energy that was usually there dulled. Something clicked in his head, a horrific realization. "Where? Are you—_leaving_ me?"

"I have to get away," she said, sounding broken. "I can't do this. I'm not cut out for this—"

"But—we have a baby," Zane said. "Our baby. You can't just—leave."

"I'm so sorry," Rikki said, turning and going to the door.

Zane grabbed her, but had to let go immediately, as her skin was sizzling hot. The condition, as she called it, hadn't stopped after the birth of Nova; anger, fear, and other strong, negative emotions all led to her getting hot.

"You can't just leave us!" Zane said. "You can't—how can you leave me like this?"

She stilled for a second, her back to him. Then she sighed softly, took her suitcase, and walked out the door, not looking back.

--

Zane couldn't remember the last time he'd cried, but as he sat and stared emptily out the large windows overlooking the ocean, he felt them fall down his cheeks.

The baby slept on. He was glad, because he wasn't sure what he'd do with her now, if she started screaming for his attention. A part of him wanted to leave too, to go after Rikki and leave the baby behind, forgetting all about her so that he could have Rikki back.

But he couldn't bring himself to go. He loved his daughter in a way that couldn't compare, even to the love he had for Rikki. Nova was his daughter, his own flesh and blood. He couldn't describe the feeling – although he had tried a week or so ago, when Cleo had asked what it felt like.

There was a knock on the door. Zane didn't get up to answer it – he wanted to be alone. He knew that if it was Rikki, then she'd simply barge in, so he didn't have to wonder if it was her.

The door opened behind him, and someone walked inside. It could have been a burglar for all Zane cared – right now, a bullet through his head would make the hurt stop, and that would be welcome. A sudden fear for his daughter's life made him turn around anyway – even if he wanted to die, he didn't want her to, simply because he was too lazy to see who had come into the apartment.

"Lewis?" he said, the word choked. He flushed immediately with embarrassment – he was crying in front of another man! His father would have laughed if he found Zane crying, and then he would have told him that he wasn't a man at all.

"Zane? What's going on? Why are you—eh," he said, motioning towards Zane's red face instead of saying the word out loud.

He didn't know what to say.

"Where's Rikki?" Lewis asked. "I'm here for her check-up – we have to see if she's gotten her tail back yet, and there are some tests I have to—"

"She's gone, okay?" Zane snapped suddenly, standing up.

Lewis' eyebrows rose. "Gone? What do you mean, 'gone'?"

"Gone!" Zane said. "Gone as in gone, not coming back."

"But you— and Nova—why would she—"

"I don't know, okay?" Zane said. "She just walked out of here. Couldn't do it, she said. I don't know why. I thought it was—it's been a lot of work, but I thought we—I thought she—"

He trailed off, anger washing off him as suddenly as it had flared. He sank back down, his body feeling heavy and unfamiliar. To his horror, fresh tears began trailing down his cheeks, and he sobbed into his hands.

He felt the weight of Lewis sitting down next to him, and a few moments later, an awkward hand landed on his shoulder, patting him. If he hadn't been so completely heartbroken, Zane would have laughed at the scene.

They sat in silence, Zane trying his best to stop the embarrassing show of emotions. He was supposed to be cool and collected, not a mess of feelings, not crying his heart out in front of another man.

"Should I ask the girls to go look for her?" Lewis asked.

Zane shook his head, avoiding looking at Lewis. His voice was rough when he spoke. "I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to be found."

"She might just need a little time alone," Lewis said. "Having a baby is a life-changing experience – she might just be feeling the pressure of it, and she'll come back when she realizes she misses you and Nova."

Zane couldn't quite bring himself to hope for that. The suitcase and the look in her eyes all suggested that she intended to stay away. He didn't dare look at their joint bank account – he didn't want to know if she'd withdrawn a bunch of their savings.

He simply wanted her to walk through the door, wanted her to _be there_ with him.

The baby started making unhappy sounds a few minutes later, and Zane stood up. Lewis placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Go wash up and I'll take the baby," he said.

Zane didn't want to know what he looked like – probably like crap, with the combination of tears and lack of sleep. He nodded to Lewis.

Returning to the living room a ten minutes later – he'd taken his chance to shave and clean himself up – he found Lewis on the couch with a freshly changed Nova in his arms, drinking from a bottle of formula. They'd bought a bit of formula so that Zane could help with the feeding, but hadn't used any of it until now. Zane found himself wondering if Rikki had planned on leaving even when they'd first bought it.

"She has a good appetite, that's for sure," Lewis said.

"And you're pretty good with her," Zane said. He felt a pang of jealousy – Lewis seemed more natural with Nova than Zane felt.

"Cousins on my mom's side," Lewis said. "Was forced to change a diaper or two during our family dinners."

Zane nodded mutely. He sat down, and took Nova from Lewis. Her face scrunched up as the bottle was removed from her mouth, but she didn't have time to scream before it was replaced as she sat securely in her father's arms.

"You're not so bad at it either," Lewis said.

"After three weeks of non-stop caring for her, I should hope not," Zane said.

It felt good to hear Lewis say it, even though Zane usually didn't care much about what came out of Lewis' mouth. Most of it was gibberish anyway, when he talked about his university classes in biology, and extras in chemistry.

When Lewis left an hour later, Zane's heart was in no better shape, but at least he wasn't crying anymore.

At night, he went to bed in the baby's room instead of the bedroom; the baby's room had less memories of Rikki. The bedroom – where they'd shared fantastic nights, where Nova had come into being, where they'd talked until the sun rose outside – was one big reminder of her.

He fell asleep uneasily, dreaming dreams of fleeing mermaids with pale blonde hair and large blue, tired eyes.

--

He took Nova out the next morning. They needed to buy groceries, and formula, and on a whim, he decided to stop buy the JuiceNet Café. Nova was in the baby carrier, sleeping calmly as he pushed it into the café.

It was as he remembered it. He hadn't been there in over two years – the crowd was younger than he was, and he and Rikki and the others had moved onto more mature places. Bringing his daughter there made him feel even older.

He sat down, ordering a pineapple juice, and looked over the interior. It hadn't changed much – the same pictures hung on the walls, his father's surfboard still hanging on the other side of the counter. The menu had been updated, but most of the old stuff was still on there.

He imagined Rikki, back when he'd first met her – a spunky girl who was different than the rest of them. She had an attitude, but such a heart beneath it all. His mind replayed scenes – the time he'd kissed Miriam to get the necklace back, the arguments they'd had there, the time he'd played against Ash in a way to prove his own manliness.

Zane only finished half his juice. He couldn't stay there; he had to leave before he went crazy. Nova was starting to fuss, and seeing her in the baby carrier made him realize just how far he'd come from the spoiled rich boy Rikki had first met.

They went back home, Nova falling asleep again as he walked, the movement of the carrier lulling her to sleep.

Cleo was waiting for him when he and Nova arrived home. She and Lewis had had a key to their apartment for a while – it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, Zane wasn't so sure.

"Lewis told me," Cleo said.

"Blabbermouth," Zane muttered, grabbing formula and starting the process of making milk out of it.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," Cleo said hesitantly.

"I'm fine, can't you see that?" Zane said. "The mother of my child, the woman I intended to marry, walked out on me. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

She crossed her arms. "I was just trying to be nice."

"It's what you always are, Cleo," Zane said. "But right now, it's not what I need."

"No, you need Rikki," Cleo said. "Just like the rest of us. You don't think Emma and I— It's always been the three of us."

Zane stopped and looked at her for a moment. He couldn't bring himself to apologize, but he hoped that his lack of further scathing words was enough.

"We looked for her yesterday," Cleo said, "in the ocean."

"We don't even know if she's got her tail back yet," Zane said. "She might be in a hotel somewhere – or maybe she's on her way to the US on a flight, or something. She could be anywhere."

Cleo looked unhappy at the thought, and for a worrying minute, Zane thought she might cry. He was bad enough at comforting Rikki – trying to comfort Cleo would be way beyond his abilities. But she didn't cry; she took a deep breath, and nodded. Zane realized suddenly that Cleo too had grown up over the last few years.

"We'll keep looking," she said.

The microwave dinged, signalling the milk being finished, and right on time, Nova started crying. Cleo picked her up from the baby carrier, and handed her to Zane.

"Take good care of her," she said, and then she left, leaving Zane alone with his daughter.

--

Exhaustion didn't begin to cover the feeling he had as Nova woke up at two a.m. and started screaming. He walked out to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle, warming it quickly, and then he returned to the baby's room, picking her up.

The sound of her cries cut into his ears.

"You have a really good set of lungs, you know that?" he muttered, placing the bottle to her lips.

She was screaming enough to not realize that there was a bottle to drink from, and it took a minute of agonizing cries for him to get her to start suckling. Then he leaned back against the back of the seat, resting her on his arm, the other hand steadying the bottle. His eyelids dropped and he fell asleep in the chair, holding onto Nova, and only when she spit the bottle out did he wake enough to replace her in the crib.

Come morning, his back was killing him from sleeping on the small cot in the baby's room. Like a zombie, he made his way through the apartment, making a bottle for Nova, changing her, placing her in the little baby recliner that had an entire entertainment system – plastic things that blinked and made sounds, which she seemed to enjoy. Once she was emersed in the sounds and colours, he sat down on the couch, and watched TV.

They'd taken a semester off from college, to be able to care for the baby and learn the ropes. As money wasn't a problem – his father had yet to meet his grand daughter, but he did pay for their expenses – they'd decided on it together.

Of course, as a single father, he might not be able to return to school at all. How did people do it? Place the kid in day care? He couldn't imagine leaving her with someone else all day every day, when she was just four months old. Perhaps he could hire a nanny; they'd talked about it before Nova was born.

They.

He and Rikki.

He sighed deeply. The TV was on, but he didn't see what was happening on the screen; it seemed wholly unimportant. His imagination took him to a fantasy world where she hadn't left, where it was the two of them, happily taking care of their daughter. The imaginary Rikki didn't have shadows beneath her eyes, or a slump to her shoulders.

The day passed in a flurry of changing diapers, washing clothes, making formula, and simply caring for Nova. He realized that as much as he'd done in the last three weeks, there was still a great load that Rikki must have taken care of, because it was nothing compared to all the things he now had to do.

At night, his back forbade him to sleep in the cot, and he brought Nova's crib into the bedroom instead. He was exhausted enough to fall asleep without having to think about her for hours, although he did dream – blue eyes haunting him, words spilling from her mouth that she'd never said, that it was his fault, that he hadn't done enough, that she didn't love him. He tried to beg for forgiveness in the dreams, but nothing helped.

Nova woke twice – at two a.m., and then again at five thirty, and at that point, Zane simply brought her to the bed and laid down with her, feeding her and holding her. As she looked at him, tiny fingers fisted around his shirt and blue eyes wide and alert, he remembered again why it was that he did all the chores. A simple look from her, a toothless smile that wasn't really a smile, because she was too young to smile, or the curiosity with which she studied her fingers – it all made it worth it.

He fell asleep with her on his chest.

Waking up two hours later, he laid still, eyes closed, somehow aware that someone was watching him. The hand that rested on top of Nova tightened protectively. She was still sleeping, a lump of warmth on his shirt.

He opened his eyes, and wondered if he was still dreaming.

"Rikki?"

She stood in the doorway, looking rested but at the same time not, her hair falling softly down her shoulders. She was dressed in a simple black shirt and pants, and the suitcase stood beside her.

She bit her lip, studying the floor.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

She took a hesitant step forward to stand at the end of the bed.

"About what?" he asked, because there could be more than one thing she was sorry about.

"About what?" she choked, and tears started running down her cheeks. "About leaving, of course. I shouldn't have—I was just so tired, of everything, but I—I shouldn't have—and now I've ruined everything—"

She trailed off, wiping at her cheeks, as though the tears were traitors for falling.

"I get if you don't want to see me ever again," she continued. "I just—I know I behaved badly—that I shouldn't have gone—not like that—but I love you. And her. God, I love you both so much—I didn't think I even could love anyone so much."

He stared at her, still wondering if he was dreaming. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him – he remembered now that he hadn't eaten anything yesterday, and who knew if that could make him hallucinate.

"Please say something."

Her broken words headed straight for his heart, breaking and mending all at once.

"I don't know why you're just standing there," he said softly. "You belong here."

Her mouth fell open in disbelief, as though she hadn't expected him to want her back at all. He wondered what could possibly make her think that – there might be an issue or two they needed to discuss about talking about their feelings, but it wasn't nearly enough to end what they had.

She crawled into bed, hesitating still, as though he might change his mind at any time.

"I think someone wants to say hi," he said.

Nova still slept, but Rikki ran a shaking hand down her head and back. "I didn't know what it'd feel like—it was like someone cut off a part of me."

Zane pulled her close, hand snaking around her back, and he kissed the top of his head. To his embarrassment, he felt tears burning in his eyes at the simple feeling of holding her in his arms.

"I'll help you more," he whispered. "And we can probably ask Lewis and Cleo to watch her for an hour or two if you want to talk, or just get away. Lewis is pretty good with her."

"He's better than me with her," Rikki said softly. "He knows what she needs better than I do."

"No, he doesn't," Zane said. "He's just had more experience with babies. You're the one she wants."

She gave him a look that told him she didn't quite believe him, but then rested her head on his shoulder. Her hand was on top of the baby's, and his hand on top of hers. Their little family, together again.

"Do you still want to marry me?" Rikki asked.

He smiled slightly. "Yeah. Call me crazy, but I do."

She chuckled, a teary sound but a happy one nonetheless. She snuggled closer, and eventually, her breathing evened out into sleep. He lay there, holding his family.

--

The End

--

_**Author's notes: **And that marks the end of this series. I hope you've enjoyed, comments are appreciated._


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